Hello, my name is Harold A. Skaarup. I have had the good fortune to have served more than 40 years with the Canadian Forces, taking part in history making events and having interesting experiences with incredibly talented people in attention getting places. As a result, I have a bit of insight into the history that Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen and women have been making overseas and at home and like to write about it from my perspective. You will find some of those stories in the books described on this website.

There are a lot of interesting historical subjects covered on these web pages, most of them concerning Canadian military history. Please check out the links to the right of this page for detail on the locations of aircraft, armour, artillery, ships, trains, and a variety of related subject matter. Yes, there really was a Newfoundland Fighter Squadron in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Yes, there are pieces of artillery in Canada that date back to the age of Queen Anne in England.

You may find much of the data gathered here is also being presented at the New Brunswick Military History Museum (NBMHM) located near the town of Oromocto, on 5 Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, New Brunswick.

The NBMHM is open to visitors, and it is where you will occasionally find the author taking guests (like the Army Cadets taking part in training at Camp Argonaut this summer, examining the Museum's Soviet-built ex-East German T-72 Main Battle Tank), on a guided tour of the military exhibits. Please come and join us.

If you have a question for me on any of the subject matter here, you can e-mail me at hskaarup@rogers.com.

About the Author

Former Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel for 3 Intelligence Company (Halifax), Harold A. Skaarup, CD2, BFA, MA in War Studies, retired from the Canadian Forces as an Army Intelligence Officer and has a great deal of interest in Military History. During his service career he was deployed overseas with Head Quarters Canadian Forces Europe (HQ CFE) and later with 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (4 CMBG) based in Lahr, Germany, and with the Canadian Airborne Regiment including a deployment with the Canadian Contingent of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Nicosia, Cyprus (CANCONCYP). He served with the NATO-led Peace Stabilization Force in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina (SFOR), and with North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), as well as United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) and later United Sates Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), based on Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 2004 he deployed with the Canadian Contingent of the Kabul Multi-National Brigade (KMNB) as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), in Kabul, Afghanistan. He retired from the Army in the rank of Major on 8 August 2011.

On 1 Feb 2015 he was appointed HLCol for 3 Intelligence Company in Halifax. He is shown on the left in the photo, taking part in their training in the field at 5 Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown during Exercise Strident Tracer in August 2016. The crew on the right is holding a low-visibility Intelligence Branch flag. Harold currently lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where he is a volunteer with the New Brunswick Military History Museum. He continues to write with a focus on military history.

His most recent book, Canadian War Trophies, was published in June 2013:

Canadian War Trophies

War Prize Weapons & Equipment in Canada from the Crimean War, the Fenian Raids, the Boer War, the Great War, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Yugoslav Wars and Afghanistan.

Cover: German Second World War FlakPanzer IV Wirbelwind (Whirlwind Self-propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun), on display in Worthington Memorial Park, CFB Borden, Ontario. This Canadian War Trophy is one of only two of its kind left in the world (one other is preserved in a military museum in Kiel, Germany). This one was brought to Canada by Captain Farley Mowat and his Intelligence Collection Team in the summer of 1945. It is held in trust by the Base Borden Military Museum.

About this book

Canadian War Trophies is an informative and detailed synopsis of the carefully preserved and restored weapons and equipment of former adversaries on display in Canada. The war prize items described include 18 Russian cannon taken during the Crimean War and gifted to Canada by Queen Victoria, captured artillery from the Fenian Raids, the Second Boer War, German small arms, guns and aircraft from the Great War, Axis weapons from the Second World War, including tanks, artillery, aircraft, rockets and submarines and a few of the weapons from the Korean War and those representing the forces of former Warsaw Pact nations of the Cold War, the Yugoslav Wars and Afghanistan.

These War Prizes represent some of the difficulties Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen have had to face in order to protect our nation from the threats posed by numerous adversaries back to the days before Canada’s Confederation. It has been an honour for those of us who have served in the Canadian Forces, but the task of keeping our nation safe is unlikely to ever be complete. These weapons of war are preserved to remind us of what may come when opposition to our freedom and way of life stands unopposed. We must choose to be well prepared to meet potential threats with vigilance, proper training and equipment, sound alliances and an understanding of what the cost may be.

In doing so, it is necessary to remember that the weapons of war are an integral part of what keeps this nation safe, although the examples that have been preserved in Canada to make it so are few and far between. The descriptions of Canadian war trophies and the places where they can be viewed highlights the importance of the equipment that brought our nation forward at key turning points in history when our own weapons were in use as tools of war at home and overseas. This guide book will show the interested reader where to find examples of the historical weapons and equipment used by former adversaries that have been preserved in Canada. These weapons of war should help to serve as a window on how Canada’s military contribution to security in the world has had to evolve in order to meet the difficulties and increasingly dangerous challenges we have had to face both in peace and war.

The author shown with a German Second World War 17-ton 17-cm Kanone 18 (K18) Field Artillery Gun which was transported from Valcartier, Quebec to 5 Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, New Brunswick on 4 December 2012. This gun was collected in Northwest Europe in 1944 and shipped to the USA. It came to Canada in March 1945 from Aberdeen, and was tested at Valcartier. The author, Vice President of the Friends of the New Brunswick Military History Museum, is happy to see here as it arrived at the museum.

The NBMHM would welcome volunteers interesting in helping with the restoration of this gun.

The history of those who have served Canada as soldiers, both in peace and war, predates Confederation. One of Canada’s oldest and amongst the most distinguished regimental families is that of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, whose gunners and their guns have been present and active whenever needed. Over the many years since Canadian gunners fired their first shot in defence of the nation, hundreds of thousands of eager and motivated young men and women have served with pride and enthusiasm while wearing the distinctive Royal Canadian Artillery hat badge. To the members of the larger artillery community the gun is the centrepiece of a long and rich cultural tradition bearing the Royal cypher, acting much like the regimental colours of the infantry regiments as the centre piece of pride and devotion. Gunners have been expected - and have - to fight to the death to protect their guns, and when on formal parade treat them with veneration and an intense degree of symbolism that is not readily understood by those who are not members of the artillery family. When guns become old they do not always fade away. In hundreds of cases they are carefully mounted and preserved as displays and memorial symbols, a tangible link to the thousands who fought our wars and paid the ultimate price. This guidebook is an informative and detailed synopsis of some of the carefully preserved and restored field artillery guns currently on display in Canada.

Major Hal Skaarup’s book is reflective of the passion that gunners have for their guns, and his descriptions of the Canadian guns and the places of honour where they can be viewed will highlight for the interested reader that military planners have had to be continuously creative in adapting to the changes necessitated by contemporary warfare, no matter what the era. Examples include guns that predate Confederation to those that saw action as recently as Afghanistan. It is important to recognise and remember the importance of the people and equipment that defended our nation forward and were present at all of the key turning points in history. This guidebook shows where to find examples of the guns that served, and are preserved, in Canada, and may serve as a window into our past while reminding us that there is a price to pay to preserve our society and values, and gunners and their guns have always done their duty.

Museum displays and Artillery monuments change, new ones are created, old guns are moved, refurbished, sold or in some cases disposed of. If you know of artillery pieces and their locations not listed in Shelldrake please send me an e-mail (hskaarup@rogers.com), to update the list you will find in the column at right (Artillery preserved in Canada). Photos of the guns and the weights, makers and serial numbers stamped on them would be a great help in identifying them for other historians tracking down the gun's history. Ubique!

(The author) has woven together an informative and detailed synopsis of the carefully preserved and restored armoured fighting vehicles on display in Canada. He highlights the importance of these upon key turning points in history when these AFVs were in use as tools of war at home and overseas. We often associate the evolution of military prowess with the advancement of sophisticated technology. Major Skaarup's descriptions of Canadian armour as it evolved to the level it has today reveals that military planners have had to be continuously creative in adapting to the changes in modern combat. They had to devise many intricate techniques, tactics and procedures to overcome the insurgents and opposition forces faced in Afghanistan and future overseas missions where Canadian armour will be brought into play. This guide book will show the interested reader where to find examples of the historical armour preserved in Canada, and perhaps serve as a window on how Canada's military contribution to safety and security in the world has evolved.

Museum displays and Armoured Fighting Vehicle monuments change, new ones are created, old tanks are moved, refurbished, sold or in some cases disposed of. If you know of tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles preserved in Canada and their locations that have not been listed in Ironsides please send me an e-mail (hskaarup@rogers.com), to update the list you will find in the column at right (Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles preserved Canada). Photos of the tanks and AFVs and the Registration Numbers of the vehicles would be a great help in identifying them and for tracking down their service history for other interested historians.

Out of Darkness - Light

A History of Canadian Military Intelligence

Volumes 1, 2, 3 & 4

Intelligence is a key element of operations, enabling commanders to successfully plan and conduct operations. It enables them to win decisive battles and it helps them to identify and attack high value targets. Intelligence is an important part of every military decision. Military intelligence is the knowledge of a possible or actual enemy or area of operation. It encompasses combat intelligence, strategic intelligence, and counterintelligence, and is essential to the preparation and execution of military policies, plans, and operations.

The objective of military intelligence is to minimize the uncertainties of the affects of enemy, weather and terrain on operations. The decisive factor in warfare has often been the utilization of good intelligence. A glimpse of how this has been done in the Canadian Forces is contained in this reference book on the Intelligence Branch history.

(You can find some of the Canadian Intelligence Corps and Intelligence Branch details included in this book in the links at the right of this page)

Order Out of Darkness - Light online in softcover, hardcover or e-book at these bookstores

Details on Out of Darkness - Light, Volumes 2, 3 and 4 and other books that can be ordered from this website in softcover, hardcover or e-book can be found by clicking on the titles in the column at the right side of this page.

This aviation handbook is designed to be used as a quick reference to the classic military heritage aircraft that have been flown by members of the Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Canadian Forces. The interested reader will find useful information and a few technical details on most of the military aircraft that have been in service with active Canadian squadrons both at home and overseas. 100 selected photographs have been included to illustrate a few of the major examples in addition to the serial numbers assigned to Canadian service aircraft. For those who like to actually see the aircraft concerned, aviation museum locations, addresses and contact phone numbers have been included, along with a list of aircraft held in each museum's current inventory or on display as gate guardians throughout Canada and overseas. The aircraft presented in this edition are listed alphabetically by manufacturer, number and type. Although many of Canada's heritage warplanes have completely disappeared, a few have been carefully collected, restored and preserved, and some have even been restored to flying condition. This guide-book should help you to find and view Canada's Warplane survivors.

(An updated list of Canadian Warplane survivors on display by province can be found in the links at the right of this page).

Order Canadian Warplanes online in softcover or e-book at these bookstores

This book is a collection of "there I was" stories highlighting the experiences of Canadian Forces pilots who have had the opportunity of a lifetime to fly in the combat aircraft operated by former adversaries. Technical descriptions of key Soviet-built fighter jets such as the MiG-15, MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-29, Sukhoi Su-22 and Su-27 are included for general reference.The Canadian Fighter pilots mentioned in the story have generously provided their observations and comments on their specific experiences of flight in aircraft such as the MiG-29 (NATO codenamed Fulcrum), Sukhoi Su-22 (codenamed Fitter) and Su-27 (codenamed Flanker), both in Canada and overseas. The stories as told first hand by the pilots who contributed them should provide interesting reading for aviation enthusiasts of all ages.An Annex listing aircraft known to have been brought to the West by defecting pilots since 1949 is also included. The Annex briefly describes pilots and aircraft and the circumstances that brought the various defectors to the west, including the MiG-15 flown to South Korea by Lieutenant No Kum-Sok and the MiG-25 flown to Japan by Lieutenant Viktor Belenko. Brief details of Soviet-built aircraft later flown in NATO opposition force flight test programs are also included.

Axis Warplane Survivors is a guidebook to the preserved Military Aircraft of the Second World War Tripartite Pact of Germany, Italy, and Japan, joined by Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia; the co-belligerent states of Thailand, Finland, San Marino and Iraq; and the occupied states of Albania, Belarus, Croatia, Vichy France, Greece, Ljubljana, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Manchukuo, Mengjiang, the Philippines and Vietnam.

(An updated list of Axis Warplane survivors on display worldwide can be found in the links at the right of this page).

Order Axis Warplane Survivors online in softcover or e-book at these bookstores

This book includes 120 selected photographs illustrating a few of the major examples of surviving warplanes in New England, in addition to the serial numbers assigned to American military aircraft. For those who would like to actually see the aircraft concerned, aviation museum locations, addresses and contact phone numbers, websites and email addresses have been included, along with a list of aircraft held in each museum's current inventory or that on display as gate guardians throughout the New England States. The aircraft presented in this edition are listed alphabetically by manufacturer, number and type.

Although many of New England's heritage warplanes have completely disappeared, a few have been carefully collected, restored and preserved, and some have even been restored to flying condition. This guide-book should help you to find and view New England's Warplane survivors.

(An updated list of New England Warplane survivors and other warplanes on display by state in the USA can be found in the links at the right of this page).

Order New England Warplanes online in softcover or e-book at these bookstores

(Cover: North American P-51C Mustang "The Macon Belle", Photo courtesy of Philip Makanna)

Florida Warplanes

This aviation handbook is designed to be used as a quick reference to the classic military heritage aircraft that have been restored and preserved in the state of Florida. The aircraft include those fl own by members of the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Coast Guard, the Air and Army National Guard, and by various NATO and allied nations as well as a number previously operated by opposition forces in peace and war.

The interested reader will find useful information and a few technical details on most of the military aircraft that have been in service with active flying squadrons both at home and overseas. 160 selected photographs have been included to illustrate a few of the major examples in addition to the serial numbers assigned to American military aircraft. For those who like to actually see the aircraft concerned, aviation museum locations, addresses and contact phone numbers have been included, along with a list of aircraft held in each museum's current inventory or on display as gate guardians throughout the State of Florida. The aircraft presented in this edition are listed alphabetically by manufacturer, number and type.

Although many of Florida's heritage warplanes have completely disappeared, a few have been carefully collected, restored and preserved, and some have even been restored to flying condition. This guide-book should help you to find and view Florida's Warplane survivors.

(An updated list of Florida Warplane survivors and other warplanes on display by state in the USA can be found in the links at the right of this page).

Order Florida Warplanes online in softcover or e-book at these bookstores

This aviation handbook is designed to be used as a quick reference to the classic military heritage aircraft that have been restored and preserved in the state of Arizona. The aircraft include those fl own by members of the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, the United States Coast Guard, the Air and Army National Guard, and by various NATO and allied nations as well as a number previously operated by opposition forces in peace and war. The interested reader will find useful information and a few technical details on most of the military aircraft that have been in service with active flying squadrons both at home and overseas. 100 selected photographs have been included to illustrate a few of the major examples in addition to the serial numbers assigned to American military aircraft . For those who like to actually see the aircraft concerned, aviation museum locations, addresses and contact phone numbers have been included, along with a list of aircraft held in each museum's current inventory or on display as gate guardians throughout the State of Arizona. The aircraft presented in this edition are listed alphabetically by manufacturer, number and type. Although many of Arizona's heritage warplanes have completely disappeared, a few have been carefully collected, restored and preserved, and some have even been restored to flying condition. This guide-book should help you to find and view Arizona's Warplane survivors.

(An updated list of Arizona Warplane survivors and other warplanes on display by state in the USA can be found in the links at the right of this page).

Order Arizona Warplanes online in softcover or e-book at these bookstores

This is Elijah Estabrook's story. He was a Massachusetts provincial soldier who fought Montcalm at Ticonderoga, a battle in the French and Indian War (1754-1763). Elijah Estabrooks kept a journal between 1758 and 1760 covering his military service during the French and Indian War, a period that saw Canada ceded to Britain. Ticonderoga Soldier expands on the details of the people and events he mentions in his Journal. He was one of the earliest settlers on the Saint John River, and now lies buried near Jemseg, New Brunswick. This book is a tribute from one of his many descendants.

(You can read much of the content of this book in the link at the right of this page)

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Whiz-Bangs and Woolly Bears is a story about a soldier of the Great War and his experiences as an artillery gunner in France. I used to listen carefully to his stories while we worked on his farm in Carleton County, New Brunswick. He had kept a diary during the war, and I later had a chance to look at it.

The short entries did not begin to describe the horrors of the Western Front in 1917 and 1918. As I grew older, I began to write him to ask about the details. He responded to questions about major battles in this example: "Passchendaele was just one glorious mudhole. We were there 42 days. Kept 24 men on the guns and lost 42 in the time, an average of one a day." This is the essence of what "Whiz Bangs and Woolly Bears" is about. It is a running discourse between a grandfather, Walter Ray Estabrooks and his grandson Harold Skaarup who later served in the Army as well.

Although the story is essentially about Walter Estabrooks and his experiences during the Great War, it is also about the fact that he lived to tell the tale. So many did not.

(You can read much of the content of this book in the link at the right of this page)

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Corporal Harold Jorgen Skaarup of Carleton County, New Brunswick was a Sherman tank commander in "A" Squadron of the 5th Armoured Regiment, 8th Princess Louise's New Brunswick Hussars during the Second World War. On the morning of the 31st of August 1944, he and his tank crew were fighting the Germans in Italy near a hill known as Point 136. His squadron had already lost 12 of 19 tanks, ten to German 88mm anti-tank shells and two to breakdowns. That morning, Harold's tank was hit by a shell fired from a German 88mm anti-tank gun, and Harold was badly injured. Although he and his tank crew bailed out of the burning Sherman, mortar rounds began to land on them. Harold was hit again, this time taking shell fragments in his chest. He was evacuated to a field hospital in the rear area, but died later from his wounds on the 6th of September 1944. He was 24 years old. Today he lies buried in a Commonwealth War Grave in Montecchio, Italy. He never got home to tell his story. New Brunswick Hussar is a partial chronicle of his service, by his nephew. We never met, but I do carry his name.

(You can read much of the content of this book in the link at the right of this page)

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It has been said that the taking of a fortress depends primarily on the making of a good plan to take it, and the proper implementation and application of the resources to make the plan work. Long before a fortress has been besieged and conquered, it has to have been outthought before it can be outfought. This book outlines some of the more successfully thought out sieges, and demonstrates why it is that no fortress is impregnable.A siege can be described as an assault on an opposing force attempting to defend itself from behind a position of some strength. Whenever the pendulum of technology swings against the "status quo," the defenders of a fortification have usually been compelled to surrender. We must stay ahead of the pendulum, and not be out-thought long before we are out-fought, for, as it will be shown in this book, "no fortress is impregnable."

(You can read much of the content of this book in the link at the right of this page)

Order Siegecraft online in Hardcover, Softcover or e-book at these bookstores